Substantially pure diol and triol stereoisomers, method of preparation and polymers thereof

ABSTRACT

Optically active polymers are of the formula  (* CHEMICAL STRUCTURE *)  wherein R and R1 are different from each other and are selected from the group consisting of (C1-C20)alkyl, (C2-C20)alkenyl, (C2-C20)alkynyl, (C3-C22) cycloalkyl and (C6-C22)aryl, the alkyl, alkenyl and alkynyl further including an atom selected from the group consisting of N, O and S in the chain, the alkyl, alkenyl and alkynyl further including a substituent selected from the group consisting of (C1-C4)alkyl and halogen atoms, the cycloalkyl and aryl further including an atom selected from the group consisting of N, O and S in the ring, and the cycloalkyl and aryl further including a substituent selected from the group consisting of (C1-C10)alkoxy, aryloxy, halogen atoms, NO2 and NHCOR4 wherein R4 is selected from the group consisting of (C1-C6)alkyl, (C2-C6)alkenyl, (C2-C6)alkynyl and (C6-C10)aryl; R2 is selected from the group consisting of -CO-, -CO-R3-CO-, (CH2)q, -C6H4-, 4,4&#39;-biphenylene and -OCNH-R3-NHCO- wherein R3 is selected from the group consisting of (C1-C10)alkyl, (C2-C10)alkenyl, (C2-C10)alkynyl, (C4-C20)aryl and (C3-C20)cycloalkyl and q is from 1 to 12; m is from 1 to 10,000; and p is from 0 to m. The polymer is formed from a stereochemically pure compound.

This application is a division of application Ser. No. 07/470,668 filed Jan. 26, 1990 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,166,062.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to stereochemically pure diols and triols which are valuable intermediates in the preparation of polymers, acetals and crown ethers. This invention also relates to methods of preparing the stereochemically pure compounds disclosed herein.

BACKGROUND ART

Diols are valuable intermediates in the preparation of polymers, acetals, and crown ethers, and optically active diols, in particular, have been widely used for stereochemical control in homochiral syntheses. Unfortunately, the number of optically active diols, other than those associated with carbohydrates is quite small. Thus, a general source of optically active diols could provide valuable new building blocks for many structures.

Most techniques for the preparation of optically active diols focus on the stereospecific synthesis of a single enantiomer The chemicals for preparing both enantiomers via such a procedure are not always available. In addition, in many cases, the stereochemistry at the second chiral center is determined by that at the first, limiting the allowable distance between the two. Finally, a completely different approach is generally required for preparing the meso stereoisomer.

An efficient method for the preparation of all possible stereoisomers of symmetric, secondary diol monomers would allow, for example, the synthesis of an all (R), an all (S) or an (R,S) "pseudo-syndiotactic" polymer as well as polymers containing any combination of the above stereochemistries. While the separation of stereoisomers can be achieved by vapor phase chromatography (VPC) (Koppenhoefer, B.; Walswer, M.; Bayer, E.; Abdalla, S., J. Chromatog., 1986, 358, 159), such a method is, strictly speaking, not useful on a preparative scale.

Hydrolase enzymes specific for diol stereochemistry have been exploited for some time. However, their use has been limited to the modification of one chiral center in a meso diol (or diacetylated meso diol) (Hemmerle, H., Gais, H. J, Tetrahedron Lett., 1987, 28, 3471), or to the modification of a specific hydroxyl (or esterified hydroxyl) of a diol bearing a prochiral center (Ramos Tombo, G. M.; Schar, H. P.; Fernandez i Busquets, X.; Ghisalba, O., Tetrahedron Lett., 1986, 27, 5707).

Early examples of using enzymes to hydrolyze one of a pair of like groups involved the stereoselective hydrolysis of one of a pair of esters in aqueous media (Huang, F. C.; Lee, L. F. H.; Mittal, R. S. D.; Ravikumar, P. R.; Chan, J. A.; Sih, C. J.; Caspi, E.; Eck, E. R., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1975, 97, 4144; Ohno, M.; Kobayashi, S.; Limori, T.; Wang, Y. F.; Izawa, T., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1981, 103, 2405; Chen, C. S.; Fujimoto, Y.; Sih, C. J., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1981, 103, 3580). The recent discovery, however, (Cambou, B,; Klibanov, A. M., J. Am Chem. Soc., 1984, 106, 2687; Zaks, A.; Klibanov, A. M., Science, 1984, 224, 1249; Gatfield, I. L., Annals N.Y. Acad. Sci., 1984, 568; Zaks, A.; Klibanov, A. M., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci USA, 1985, 82, 3192; Klibanov, A. M., CHEMTECH, 1986, 354) that such enzymes are also effective catalysts in low to moderate polarity organic solvents has allowed the development of esterification and transesterification as viable, alternative processes, enzymes can carry out (Cambou, B.; Klibanov, A. M., Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 1984, XXVI, 1449; Kirchner, G.; Scollar, M. P.; Klibanov, A. M., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1985, 107, 7072; Langrand, G.; Secchi, M.; Buono, G.; Baratti, J.; Triantaphylides, C., Tetrahedron Lett., 1985, 26, 1857; Langrand, G.; Baratti, J.; Buono G.; Triantaphylides, C., Tetrahedron Lett., 1986, 27, 29; Gil, G.; Ferre F.; Meou, A.; Le Petit, J.; Triantaphylides, C., Tetrahedron Lett., 1987, 28, 1647;Bianchi, D.; Cesti, P.; Battistel, E., J. Org. Chem., 1988, 53, 5531; F.; Cesti, P.; Cabri, W.; Bianchi, D.; Martinengo, T.; Foa, J. Org. Chem., 1987, 52, 5079).

In a typical organic phase resolution, the enzyme catalyzes the reaction of an activated ester with one enantiomer of a racemic alcohol. When the reaction has reached approximately 50% completion, it is stopped by filtering out the enzyme catalyst. The products of interest are an unchanged, optically active alcohol and an optically active ester. Following separation of the unchanged alcohol enantiomer from the ester, the latter can be hydrolyzed (chemically or enzymatically) to obtain the second enantiomer of the optically active alcohol.

In a modification of this procedure, Bianchi et al. have shown that acid anhydrides can be used with lipases in place of the activated ester to stereoselectively esterify chiral alcohols (Bianchi, D.; Cesti, P.; Battistel, E., J. Org. Chem., 1988, 53, 5531) This method exhibits both high reaction rates and selectivities.

Because of the current interest in the preparation of optically active polymers, and due to a lack of feasible large-scale methods for the preparation of isolated stereoisomeric AA type monomers, there is still a need for simple, large-scale methods for the preparation of secondary diol monomers which result in high purity, stereochemically pure isomers which are substantially free of the remaining stereoisomers of the compound.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a compound of the formula ##STR2## wherein

n is 2 to 3;

R and R¹ are different from one another and are selected from the group consisting of (C₁ -C₂₀)alkyl, alkenyl or alkynyl, (C₃ -C₂₂)cycloalkyl and (C₄ -C₂₂), aryl, wherein said alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, cycloalkyl and aryl may be substituted with N, O or S in the ring or chain structure and with (C₁ -C₄)alkyl, alkenyl or alkynyl, halogen, (C₁ -C₁₀)alkoxy or aryloxy, NO₂ or NHCOR⁴, wherein R⁴ is H, (C₁ -C₆)alkyl, alkenyl or alkynyl, which may be further substituted with S, N or O; and

R² is H or (C₁ -C₂₀)acyl or benzoyl which may be further substituted with N, S or O, and the alkyl and aryl residues thereof may be further substituted with CN, COOH, halogen, HOOC(C₁ -C₆)alkyl, HOOC(C₁ -C₆)alkenyl, HOOC(C₁ -C₆)alkynyl or CO, said compound being in substantially stereochemically pure form.

This invention also relates to a polymer of the formula ##STR3## wherein

R and R¹ are different from one another and are selected from the group consisting of (C₁ -C₂₀)alkyl, alkenyl or alkynyl, (C₃ -C₂₂)cycloalkyl and (C₄ -C₂₂)aryl, said alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, cycloalkyl and aryl may be substituted with N, O or S in the ring or chain structure, and said alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, cycloalkyl and aryl may be further substituted with (C₁ -C₄)alkyl, alkenyl or alkynyl, halogen, (C₁ -₁₀)alkoxy or aryloxy, NO₂ or NHCOR⁴, wherein R⁴ is H, (C₁ -C₆)alkyl, alkenyl or alkynyl, or (C₄ -C₁₀) aryl which may be further substituted with N, S or O; and

R² is selected from the group consisting of --CO--, CO--R³ --CO, (CH₂)_(q), 1,2-, 1,3-, or 1,4-(C₆ H₄) 4,4,-biphenylene and OCNH--R³ --NHCO, wherein R³ is (C₁ -₁₀)alkyl, alkenyl or alkynyl or (C₄ -C₂₀)cycloalkyl, alkylaryl or aryl or ##STR4## wherein R⁵ is (C₁ -C₁₀)alkyl, alkenyl or alkynyl or (C₃ -C₂₀)cycloalkyl or (C₄ -C₁₄) aryl, all of which may be further substituted with N, S or O in the ring or chain structure and/or with halogen, NO₂ or (C₁ -₄)alkoxy;

q is 1 to 12;

m is 1 to 10,000; and

p is 0 to m.

Still part of this invention is a method of separating stereoisomers of the compounds of the invention, said method comprising

obtaining a stereochemical mixture of a secondary alcohol of the formula R¹ --(--HC(--R)(--OH))_(n), wherein n is 2 or 3, and R and R¹ are as described above;

reacting the alcohol mixture with an R⁷ acyl anhydride or a R⁶ OCOR⁷ ester, wherein R⁶ is (C₁ -C₄)-alkyl, CF₃ CH₂, CCl₃ CH₂, nitrophenyl or chlorophenyl, and R⁷ is (C₁ -₅)alkyl, CH₂ Cl, or CH₂ CN, in the presence of an enzyme capable of stereoselectively acylating the (R) site (or the (S) site) of a secondary alcohol, said alcohol mixture, anhydride (or activated ester) and enzyme being provided in a medium, in proportions and under conditions effective to form an (R) site(s) (or (S) site(s)) acyl ester(s) of the secondary alcohol; and

separating the (S,S) or (S,S,S) (or (R,R) or (R,R,R)) secondary alcohol, the (R,S) or (R,S,S) (or (R,R,S)) monoacyl ester of the secondary alcohol and the (R,R) or (R,R,S) (or (S,S) or (R,S,S)) diacylester or the (R,R,R) (or (S,S,S)) triacyl ester of the secondary alcohol stereoisomers from one another and from the reaction medium.

Also part of this invention is a further method of separating the stereoisomers of the compounds of the invention, said method comprising

obtaining a stereochemical mixture of secondary alcohol esters of the formula R¹ (--CH(--R)(--OR²))_(n), wherein n is 2 or 3, and R and R¹ are as described above, and R² is (C₁ -C₇)acyl;

reacting the stereochemical mixture of esters with an enzyme capable of selectively deacylating the (R) site (or the (S) site(s)) of a secondary alcohol, said ester and enzyme being provided in an aqueous or partially aqueous medium in a proportion and under conditions effective to produce (R) (or (S)) site deacylated isomers of the secondary alcohol; and

separating the (R,R,R) or (R,R) (or (S,S,S)) or (S,S)) free alcohol, the (R,R,S) or (R,S) (or (R,S,S)) monoacyl ester, the (R,S,S) or (S,S) (or (R,R,S) or (R,R)) diacylester and/or the (S,S,S) (or R,R,R) triacyl ester stereoisomers of the alcohol from one another and from the reaction medium.

A more complete appreciation of the invention and many of the attended advantages thereof will be readily perceived as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description. Other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following discussion.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

This invention arose from a desire to provide a simple, large-scale method for the preparation of symmetric, secondary diol monomers in stereochemically pure form and high yield. The present approach encompasses a combination of enzymatic and chemical steps which permit the separation of a stereoisomer mixture of the symmetric, secondary diol monomers in a clean and simple manner.

The enzymatic and chemical steps may be repeated more than once on partially separated diols to attain a separation of higher stereochemical purity. The present methods base the separation of the stereoisomers of a stereoisomer mixture on the ability of an enzyme to distinguish the stereochemistry at each chiral center of the substrate without regard to the presence or absence of other chiral centers in the molecule. In addition, the present methods also rely on the different characteristics of alcohols and their esters for the separation of the different stereoisomers.

The novel compounds have the general formula

    R.sup.1 (--CH(--OR.sup.2)(--R)).sub.n

wherein

n is 2 to 3;

R and R¹ are different from one another and are selected from the group consisting of (C₁ -C₂₀)alkyl, alkenyl or alkynyl, (C₃ -C₂₂)cycloalkyl and (C₄ -C₂₂)aryl, wherein said alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, cycloalkyl and aryl may be substituted with N, O or S in the ring or chain structure and with (C₁ -C₄)alkyl, alkenyl or alkynyl, halogen, (C₁ -C₁₀)-alkoxy or aryloxy, NO₂ or NHCOR⁴, wherein R⁴ is H, (C₁ -C₆)alkyl, alkenyl or alkynyl or (C₄ -C₁₀)aryl which may be further substituted with N, S or O; and

R² is H or (C₁ -C₂₀)acyl or benzoyl, which may be further substituted with N, S, or O, and the alkyl or aryl residues thereof may be further substituted with CN, COOH, halogen, HOOC(C₁ -C₆)alkyl, HOOC(C₁ -₆)alkenyl, HOOC(C₁ -C₆)alkynyl or CO; said compound being in substantially stereochemically pure form.

The compounds provided by this invention are up to about 95% free of other stereoisomers, and in some instances, more than about 95%, and even more than about 97% free of their stereoisomers and in some instances may contain no detectable quantity of their stereoisomers.

Preferred groups of compounds are those where R is (C₁ -C₁₀)alkyl, R² is H, or R¹ is benzene, biphenylene or pyrdine. Other preferred groups of compounds are those wherein the R and R¹ groups are further substituted with alkyl, alkenyl or alkynyl, halogen, alkoxy or aryloxy, NO₂ or NHCOR⁴, wherein R⁴ is as described above. Another preferred group is that where R² encompasses (C₁ -C₆)acyl substituents. Still another preferred group is that wherein R² is acyl which is further substituted with halogen, N, HOOC, HOOC(C₁ -₆)alkyl, HOOC(C₁ -C₆)alkenyl, HOOC(C₁ -C₆)alkynyl, or CO.

In one of the preferred embodiments, R¹ is 1,4-phenyl, 1,3-phenyl, 4,4'-biphenylyl or 2,6-pyridinyl.

Another preferred group is that where n is 2 and the compound is selected from the group consisting of the (R,R), (R,S), and (S,S) stereoisomers thereof.

Typical examples of the symmetric, secondary diol monomers are the following. ##STR5##

Still another preferred group of compounds are those where n is 3 and the compound is selected from the group consisting of the (R,R,R), (R,R,S), (R,S,S), and (S,S,S) stereoisomers thereof.

Typical chemical structures for symmetric, secondary triol monomers are the following. ##STR6##

These compounds may be prepared by the methods of the invention or by any other available methods. The present methods, however, permit the large-scale high stereochemical purity preparation of these compounds.

The symmetric, secondary diol and triol monomers of stereochemical purity of this invention are suitable for the preparation of polymers with non-linear optical properties. Examples of such polymers are helical polymers of single screw sense for they are unable to crystallize into a centrosymmetric crystal. By means of example, a computer model of a polymer built from the diols utilized in the examples showed a perfect helix for their polycarbonate structures. The pitch and period of the helical polymers can be further adjusted by varying the diol or triol stereoisomer utilized. The nitrogen-containing compounds also permit the binding of metals to the helix to make chiral catalysts. The polymers are also of value for chromographic separation of other stereoisomer mixtures.

The polymers of the invention can be any polymers formed by block or alternative binding of the present diol and triol stereoisomers with other bridging structures. By means of example, the polymers of the invention may have the general formula ##STR7## wherein

R and R¹ are different from one another and are selected from the group consisting of (C₁ -C₂₀)alkyl, alkenyl or alkynyl, (C₃ -C₂₂)cycloalkyl and (C₄ -C₂₂)aryl, said alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, cycloalkyl and aryl may be substituted with N, O or S in the ring or chain structure, and said alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, cycloalkyl and aryl may be further substituted with (C₁ -C₄)alkyl, alkenyl or alkynyl, halogen, (C₂ C₁₀)alkoxy or aryloxy, NO₂ or NHCOR⁴, wherein R⁴ is H, (C₁ -C₆)alkyl, alkenyl or alkynyl, or (C₄ -C₁₀)aryl which may be further substituted with N, S or O; and

R² is selected from the group consisting of --CO-- --CO--R³ --CO,(CH₂)_(q), 1,2-, 1,3-, 1,4-(C₆ H₄), biphenylene and --CONH--R³ --NHCO, wherein R³ is (C₁ -C₁₀)alkyl, alkenyl or alkynyl or (C₄ -C₂₀)aryl, alkylaryl or cycloalkyl or ##STR8## wherein R⁵ is (C₁ -C₁₀)alkyl, alkenyl or alkynyl, (C₃ -C₂₀)cycloalkyl or (C₄ -C₁₄) aryl, all of which may be further substituted with N, S or O in the ring or chain structure, and/or with halogen, NO₂ or (C₁ -C₄)alkoxy; alkoxy;

q is 1 to 12;

m is 1 to 10,000; and

p is O to m.

In a particularly preferred embodiment the polymer comprises a lesser amount of triol (about 0.001 to 20 wt %) plus diol and bridging units, R² (about 80 to 99.99 wt %) to give cross linked polymer. More preferably, the polymer comprises about 0.1 to 10 wt % of triol, the remainder being diol and bridge units,

The polymers of this invention may be prepared by methods known in the art from the stereochemically substantially pure compounds of the invention and reactive compounds which may act as bridges between residues of the diol and/or triol molecules. Examples of such bridging polymers are derivatized polycarbonates, polyesters, polyethers and polyurethanes, among others. For all practical purposes, any known compounds having two groups which can react with alcohols may be utilized along with the present diol compounds in the formation of optically active or stereochemically fixed polymers. The following residues are provided by means of example. ##STR9##

Typical bridging residues are carbonyl, acyl, diacyl, aldehyde, dialdehyde, imide, diimide, urethane, diurethane and the like.

The following are examples of methods for preparing the polymers of this invention, although not a comprehensive list. The polyesters may be prepared by direct esterification (British Patent 604,985 to the Chemstrand Corporation; A. Fradet and E. Morechal, Advances in Polymer Science 43, pg. 51-98 (1982)), transesterification or ester exchange (G. A. Haggis and L. N. Owen, J. Chem. Soc., 1953, 44; C. S. Marvel and J. H. Johnson, J. M. Chem Soc., 72, 1674 (1985)), the reaction of acid halides with diols (K. Yamaguchi, M. Takayanagi, and S. Kuriyama, J. Chem. Soc. (Japan), Ind. Chem. Sec. 58, 358 (1955); U.S. Pat. No. 2,623,034 to P. J. Flory and F. S. Leutner, (Dec. 23, 1952)) and the reaction of dicarboxylic acid salts with diols (Brit. Patent 590,451 to J. T. Dickson, H. P. W. Huggill and J. C. Welch), among others. A review of methods of preparing polyesters is provided by Pilati (F. Pilati, in Comprehensive Polymer Science, Vol. 5, pp 275-315, 1988). The polycarbonates may be prepared by the method of Schnell (Schnell, H, Ind. and Emg. Chem, 51:157 (1959), the Bayer methods (Fabriken Bayer A. G., GB Patent Nos. 546,376 and 875,378), and/or the Frecht et al method (Frecht et al, Polym. J. (Tokyo) 19(1) 31(1987)). The polyurethanes may be prepared by the method of Alexander et al (Alexander et al, in "Some Aspects of Textile Research in Germany", H. M. Stationary Office, London (1947)), the method of Lyman (Lyman, D. J., J. Poly. Sci. 45:49 (1960)) and/or the Wittbecker et al method (Wittbecker et al, J. Poly. Sci. 40:367(1959)). The polyethers may be prepared as Polymer Chemistry, p. 152, Chapman and Hill, London (1973)) However, other methods known in the art may also be utilized.

Also part of this invention is a method of separating the stereoisomers of the compounds of the invention, said method comprising

obtaining a stereochemical mixture of a secondary alcohol of the formula R¹ (--HC(--R)(--OH))_(n), wherein n is or 3, and R and R¹ are as described above;

reacting the alcohol mixture with a R⁷ acyl anhydride or a R⁶ OCOR⁷ ester, wherein R⁶ is (C₁ -₄)alkyl, CF₃ CH₂, CCl₃ CH₂ or CH₂ CN, in the presence of an enzyme capable of stereoseslectively acylating the (R) site of a secondary alcohol, said alcohol mixture, anhydride and enzyme being provided in a medium, in proportions and under conditions effective to form an (R) (or (S) site(s)) acyl ester(s) of the secondary alcohol; and

separating the (S,S) or (S,S,S) (or (R,R) or (R,R,R)) secondary alcohol, the (R,S) or (R,S,S) (or R,R,S)) monoacyl ester of the secondary alcohol, the (R,R) or (R,R,S) (or (S,S) or (R,S,S)) diacylester and/or the (R,R,R) (or (S,S,S)) triacylester of the secondary alcohol stereoisomers from one another and from the reaction medium.

Racemic mixtures of secondary alcohols suitable for use as substrates in this method are either commercially available or may be prepared by methods known in the art. The racemic mixture of the secondary alcohol is reacted with an acyl anhydride or an ester in the presence of an enzyme capable of stereoselectively acylating the (R) (or the (S)) site of a secondary alcohol. The reactants are provided in a liquid organic medium, which is preferably anhydrous or nearly anhydrous, and the reaction may optionally be conducted in a non-oxidizing atmosphere, such as nitrogen gas, and at a temperature of about -10° to 0° C., more preferably about 10° to 60° C., and still more preferably about 20° to 40° C. The enzyme utilized for this reaction step may be a lipoprotein lipase such as that obtained from Pseudomonas sp, and sold under the trade name "Amano P". However, any enzyme possessing the desired stereoselectivity is suitable.

Suitable organic compounds for use as the medium are "solvents" able to dissolve or at least partially suspend the secondary alcohol, such as benzene, toluene, xylene, ether, tetrahydrofuran, and dichloromethane, but which do not cause the enzyme to lose its activity. The solvent should also not act as a catalyst for esterification of the diol (or triol)).

The acyl anhydride may be a (C₁ -C₂₀)acyl anhydride, although acetic anhydride is preferred because it is easily obtained and inexpensive. Particularly suitable proportions of acyl anhydride, alcohol mixture, and enzyme are about 10:1:0.5 to 1:1:0.005 mmol:mmol:g, more preferably 5:1:0.25 to 1:1:0.25 mmol:mmol:g, and still more preferable about 1.5:1:0.025 to 2.5:1:0.075 mmol:mmol:g.

The free alcohol, mono-, di- and/or tri- acyl esters of the alcohols may be separated by applying technology known in the art. Preferred are fractional distillation, chromatography, temperature-controlled precipitation, or combinations of these procedures. By fractional distillation is meant the application of heat to the reaction mixture and the distillation at different temperatures of the various products. Chromatography may be conducted by column chromatography, high pressure liquid chromatography, gel permeation chromotography, gas permeation chromatography and the like, as is known in the art. By temperature-controlled precipitation it is meant the utilization of temperatures, with or without a solvent, which will permit the selective crystallization and/or precipitation of one of the stereoisomers in the presence of the remaining ones. This procedure may be repeated at different temperatures and/or with different solvents for separating the different stereoisomers or it may be combined with any of the other procedures for the further separation of the other stereoisomers.

The conditions for the separation of the stereoisomers in the form of free diol or triol, monoacyl esters, diacyl esters and/or triacylesters can be easily adjusted by a person with skill in the art. Solvents or combinations thereof suitable for the separation of alcohols from esters may be utilized as is known in the art to attain the chromatographic separation or temperature-controlled precipitation of the stereoisomers. The conditions for conducting the fractional distillation and the temperature-controlled precipitation of the stereoisomers are routinely adjusted by a practitioner in the laboratory.

The free diols may be obtained from the acyl ester derivatives by chemical or enzymatic hydrolysis, which methods are known in the art. Thus, after the free diol or triol, the monoacyl ester, the diacyl ester and/or triacylester are separated from one another and from the reaction medium, the acyl esters may be separately hydrolyzed to free their corresponding alcohol stereoisomers.

In a particularly preferred form of practicing the stereoselective acylation method, the enzyme is provided on a solid support and the alcohol mixture and the acyl anhydride are reacted in the presence of the solid supported enzyme. Solid supported enzymes such as those suitable for the practice of this method are commercially available or can be prepared by methods known in the art.

During the separation of the stereoisomers, it is preferable to first separate the enzyme from the reaction medium and then proceed with the separation of the stereoisomers from one another. In this manner, the stereoisomers are obtained with high purity and the enzyme may be recycled for further use.

In order to attain a higher degree of stereochemical purity for any particular stereoisomer with respect to the others, the method of the invention may be repeated using partially purified diol or triol stereoisomer and a more selective acylation of the (R) (or (S)) site of the alcohol, monoacyl ester and/or diacylester of the alcohol attained. This is desirable in cases where only a partial acylation of a site is attained. The conditions for conducting successive acylation reactions are similar to the original ones. The overall conditions may be adapted for attaining the, e.g., further acylation of a second or third (R) (or (S)) site which in general is more difficult to acylate than the first one, and the like.

After completion of the reaction, the stereoisomers can be separated as described above. Each stereoisomer of the free alcohol may thus be obtained substantially free of the other stereoisomers by chemical or enzymatic hydrolysis of the corresponding acyl esters.

Also provided herein is a method of separating the stereoisomers of a stereochemical mixture of secondary alcohols as described above, said method comprises

obtaining a stereochemical mixture of the esters of the formula R¹ (--CH (--R) (--OR²)_(n), wherein n is 2 or 3, and R and R¹ are as described above, and R² is (C₁ -C₂₀)acyl;

reacting the racemic ester with an enzyme capable of selectively deacylating the (R) (or (S)) site of a secondary alcohol, said ester and enzyme being provided in an aqueous or partially aqueous medium in a proportion and under conditions effective to produce (R) (or (S)) site deacylated isomers of the secondary alcohol; and

separating the (R,R) or (R,R,R) (or (S,S) or (S,S,S)) free alcohol, the (R,S) or (R,R,S) (or (R,S,S)) monoacyl ester, the (S,S) or (R,S,S) or (R,S,S) (or (R,R) or (R,R,S)) diacylester and the (S,S,S) (or (R,R,R)) triacyl ester stereoisomers of the alcohol from one another and from the reaction medium.

The stereochemical mixture of the acyl esters can be obtained commercially or be prepared in the laboratory by methods known in the art. Typically, the (C₁ -C₆) acyl esters are easily prepared in the laboratory by acetylation of stereochemical mixtures of the alcohols as described by Hassner et al, Sonntag and/or Harrison et al (Hassner et al, Tetrahedron Letters 4475 (1978); Sonntag, Chem. Rev. 52:312 (1953); Harrison et al, Chem. Ind. (London), 1568 (1968)) However, other methods may also be utilized as are known in the art.

The stereochemical mixture of acyl esters is reacted with an enzyme which stereoselectively deacylates the (R) (or (S)) site of a secondary alcohol such as a lipoprotein lipase, e.g., the lipase from Pseudomonas so.

Depending on the general chemical structure of a compound, a site recognized by the enzyme may be called (R) or (S). However, it is the same group of enzymes which do recognize both types of sites.

In a preferred embodiment of the method, the enzyme is provided on a support and the supported enzyme is reacted with a racemic acyl ester in an aqueous medium, where the pH is controlled throughout the reaction. Suitably the pH of the reaction may be about 6 to 8, more preferably about 6.5 to 7.6, and still more preferably from about 7 to 7.4. The pH of the aqueous medium may be controlled by a buffer and the addition of base or acid when necessary to maintain a substantially constant pH within about 1 pH unit.

The deacylation reaction is generally conducted at a temperature from about 10° to 50° C., more preferably about 15° to 40° C., and still more preferably about 20°0 to 30° C. The enzyme is added in a proportion to the acyl ester of about 1:200 to 1:1 g:mmol, and more preferably about 1:25 to 1:15 g:mmol.

The separation of the (R,R) or (R,R,R) (or (S,S) or (S,S,S)) free alcohol, the (R,S) or (R,R,S) (or (R,R,S)) monoacyl ester, the (S,S) or (R,S,S) (or (R,R) or (R,R,S)) diacyl ester and/or the (S,S,S) (or (R,R,R)) triacyl ester (comprising different stereoisomers of the alcohol) from one another and from the reaction medium may be conducted as described previously. Suitable technology for the separation step is fractional distillation, chromatography, temperature-controlled fractional precipitation and combinations of these known techniques.

As in the case of the diols, the separation of the triol stereoisomers may further encompass the separate hydrolysis of the different acyl esters to form the free triols. This hydrolysis may be undertaken by chemical or enzymatic means, all of which are known in the art, as are the conditions for conducting the reactions. The free alcohol stereoisomers may then be separated from the reaction medium by any of a number of known techniques such as temperature-controlled precipitation, chromatography, extraction and the like.

In a particular embodiment of this method, the enzyme, if supported, may be separated from the reaction medium prior to separating the stereoisomers. This may be attained by filtration, centrifugation, and the like, all techniques known in the art.

The separation of the diols or triols may also comprise further reacting the separate fractions comprising the various stereoisomers of the alcohol and acyl esters thereof with further enzyme to selectively deacylate the (R) (or (S)) site(s) of the acyl esters of the alcohol which were not fully deacylated previously as described above. The repetition of this step and the further separation of the deacylated stereoisomers is most useful when the first reaction has not gone to completion. In other words, when there remain unreacted (R) (or (S)) site acyl esters following the initial enzymatic hydrolysis of the stereochemical mixture, repeating the steps more than once using the partially purified stereoisomer fractions increases the purity of the product and its yield.

The present methods are particularly suitable for diols and triols where the two chiral centers are removed from one another by at least about 2 carbon atoms. This permits the reaction catalyzed by the enzyme at each site to proceed in a manner substantially independent from the other site. The method of the invention is generally described hereinbelow as applied to the separation of a racemic mixture of α,α-dimethyl-1,4-benzenedimethanol. The following Scheme and description shows the general method of this invention as applied to a specific separation. ##STR10##

The diol mixture is dissolved or suspended in an anhydrous organic solvent under a non-oxidizing atmosphere, such as N₂ gas. The enzyme catalyst is added, followed immediately by, e.g., two equivalents of acetic anhydride. The progress of the reaction is followed, e.g., by VPC. When the reaction is completed, as indicated by a dramatic reduction in its rate, it is stopped by filtering out the enzyme. Based on the known selectivity of the lipase enzyme for catalyzing the esterification of chiral centers having the R) configuration of secondary alcohols, the product mixture includes three components.

Unreacted diol having the (S,S) configuration,

Monoacylated diol having the (R,S) configuration, and

Diacylated diol having the (R,R) configuration.

The mixture is then separated by standard techniques such as distillation or chromatography. In the case of, e.g., the α,α'-dimethyl-1,4-benzendimethanol shown in the examples, the (S,S) diol crystallizes from the mixture upon cooling, and only the (R,S)-monoacetate and (R,R)-diacetate need be separated by chromatography. Following separation, the acylated compounds are hydrolyzed to regenerate the (R,S) and (R,R)diols.

Having now generally described this invention, the same will be better understood by reference to certain specific examples, which are included herein for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to be limiting of the invention or any embodiment thereof, unless so specified.

EXAMPLES Example 1 Preparation of the Stereoisomer Mixture of α,α'-Dimethyl-1,4-benzenedimethanol (S,S), (R,S), and (R,R) Stereoisomers of Compound 1)

A 250 mL three-necked round bottom flask fitted with a magnetic stirrer and a nitrogen inlet was charged with 10.0 g (61.7 mmol) of 1,4-diacetylbenzene (Aldrich) and 120 mL of anhydrous isopropyl alcohol. To the stirred solution were added 2.3 g (60.8 mmol) of sodium borohydride in three equal portions. The mixture was heated to reflux and the reaction monitored by thin layer chromatography (TLC). After 2 hours, the starting material had been consumed and a single new spot remained.

The reaction was quenched by addition of 50 mL of water. After stirring to destroy excess sodium borohydride, the solvents were evaporated and the residue was extracted with 3×100 mL ethyl acetate. The combined organic extracts were washed with 2×100 mL of water, dried over sodium sulfate and the solvent evaporated to yield 9.1 g of diol mixture.

M. P.(Melting Point): 82°-83° C. (Lit. Value: 80°-81° C., Mowry et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1946, 68, 1105).

IR (KBr): 3350, 2950, 1515, 1440, 1360, 1295, 1210, 1080, 1005, 900, 830 cm⁻¹.

¹ H NMR (CDCl₃): δ7.33 (s, 4H), 5.87 (q, 2H), 2.27 (s, 2H), 1.51 (d, 6H).

Example 2 Separation of the Stereoisomers of α,α'-Dimethyl-1,4-benzenedimethanol

A 500 mL three-necked round bottom flask equipped with a magnetic stirrer and a nitrogen inlet was charged with 6.98 g (42.0 mmol) of the stereoisomer mixture of 1 and 250 mL of anhydrous benzene. The mixture was heated to obtain a clear solution, then cooled to ambient temperature, and 4.4 g of Amano P lipoprotein lipase (AMANO Int'l Enzyme Co., Troy, Va.) was added with stirring followed by 8.57 g (84.0 mmol) of acetic anhydride.

After 6 hours a marked change in the rate of disappearance of Compound 1 and appearance of products was observed by vapor phase chromatography (VPC), and after 7 hours the reaction was quenched by filtering off the catalyst.

Example 3 Isolation of (S,S)-α,α'-Dimethyl-1,4-benzenedimethanol (Compound (S,S) 1)

Approximately half of the solvent was evaporated and the concentrated mixture stored at 0° C. overnight. The frozen benzene was allowed to thaw and the colorless crystals of the compound (S,S) 1 which remained were filtered off. The product obtained had the following characteristics.

1.68 g, 24.1% of the starting material.

MP: 128°-130° C. (after recrystallization from benzene).

¹ H and ¹³ C NMR spectra were identical with those described above for the stereoisomer mixture.

[α]_(D) ²⁵ -79.9°. (=2, acetone).

Example 4 Isolation of (R,S)-α,α'-Dimethyl-1,4-benzenedimethanol Monoacetate (Compound (R,S) 2)

The filtrate from isolation of the (S,S) 1 compound was washed with 2×50 mL of aqueous potassium carbonate and 50 mL of water, then dried over sodium sulfate, and the solvent evaporated at ambient temperature.

The residual yellow oil was purified by flash chromatography on a 6 inch bed of Merck 60/60 Angstrom silica gel and eluted with 1:1 hexane/ethyl acetate to give two fractions. The second fraction, comprising 3.54 g of a colorless oil, was shown to be the (R,S) 2 compound and accounted for 40.1% of the starting diol mixture.

[α]_(D) ²⁵ : +59.3°. (c=4, acetone).

¹ H NMR (CDCl₃): δ 7.35 (S, 4H), 5.84 (q, J=6.6 Hz, ¹ H), 4.83 (q, J=6.5 Hz, ¹ H), 2.68 (br s, ¹ H), 2.03 (S, 3H), 1.51 (D, J=6.6 Hz, 3H), 1.45 (D, J=6.5 Hz, 3H).

¹³ C NMR (CDCl₃): δ 170.3, 145.4, 140.5, 26.0, 125.4, 72.0, 69.7, 24.9, 21.9, 21.1.

Example 5 Isolation of (R,R) -α,α'-Dimethyl-1,4-benzenedimethanol Diacetate (compound (R,R)-3)

The first fraction comprising 2.56 g of a colorless oil was shown to be the (R,R) isomer of compound 3 and accounted for 24.4% of the starting diol mixture.

[α]_(D) ²⁵ :+152.9° (c=2, acetone).

¹ H NMR (CDCl₃): δ 7.33 (s, 4H), 5.87 (q, J=6.6 Hz, 2H), 2.06 (s, 6H), 1.52 (D,J=6.6 Hz, 6H).

¹³ CNMR(CDCl₃): δ_(c) 170.1, 141.1, 126.1, 71.8, 21.9, 21.1.

Example 6 Isolation of (R,S)-α,α'-Dimethyl-1,4-benzenedimethanol (Compound (R,S) 1)

To a solution of 0.396 g (9.90 mmol) of sodium hydroxide and 50 mL of absolute methanol prepared under a dry nitrogen atmosphere were added 2.00 g of the monoacetate (Compound (R,S) 2) in 25 mL of anhydrous methanol.

The mixture was stirred for 2,5 hours after which time VPC analysis showed the hydrolysis to be complete. The solvent was evaporated, 100 mL of water added to the residue, and the mixture stirred rapidly.

The crystalline precipitate which formed was filtered off and dried in vacuo at ambient temperature for 12 hours. It was then recrystallized from hot benzene to give 1.41 g (88%) of the (R,S) 1 compound having the following characteristics.

M.P.: 116°-118° C. (Lit. Value: 90°-91° C. or 114°-115° C., Mowry, D. T. et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1946, 68, 1105).

[α]_(D) ²⁵ : -0.35° (C=2, acetone).

The ¹ H and ¹³ C NMR spectra was identical with those described above for the stereoisomer mixture of compound 1.

Example 7 (R,R)-α,α'-Dimethyl-1,4-benzenedimethanol (Compound (R,R) 1)

In a manner analogous to that described for the monoacetate, 1.50 g (6.0 mmol) of the diacetate, (Compound (R,R) 3), were treated with 0.48 g (12.0 mmol) of sodium hydroxide to provide 0.91 g (92%) of compound (R,R) 1 as colorless needles. The product had the following characteristics.

M.P. 130°-131.5° C. (Lit. Value: 92°-94° C., Holland et al, Can. J. Chem., 1987, 65, 502, or 90°-91° C., 114°-115° C., Mowry, et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1946, 68, 1105).

[α]_(D) ²⁵ : +80.5° (c=2, acetone), +74.8° (c=2, ethanol), (Lit. +60° C. not given, ethanol or chloroform: Mowry, D. T., Renoll, M., Huber, W. F., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1946, 68, 1105).

The ¹ H and ¹³ C NMR were identical with those described above for the stereoisomer mixture of compound 1.

Example 8 Stereochemical Purity of the (R,R) and (S,S) Stereoisomers of α,α'-dimethyl-1,4-benzenedimethanol

No direct measure for the optical purities of the (R,R) and (S,S)-α,α-dimethyl-1,4-benzenedimethanol utilized in the present examples has been found in the literature.

The compounds prepared by the method described here have significantly higher values for [α]_(D) ²⁵ -79.9° and +80.5° (c=2, acetone) or +74.8 (c=2, ethanol) than the value of +60° (c not reported, ethanol? ) previously reported for the (R,R)-diol formed by enzymatic oxidation of p-diethylbenzene (Holland, H. L.; Bergen, E. J.; chenchaiah, C.; Khan, S. H.; Munoz, B.; Ninniss, R. W.; Richards, D, Can. J. Chem., 1987, 65, 502). An enatiomeric excess of >97% was purported for this product on the basis of its behavior in the presence of a chiral NMR shift reagent suggesting this is not a valid method for determining the stereochemical purity of these diols.

The two enantiomers prepared in the present study, on the contrary are optically pure. Their rotations differ by only 0.75% in magnitude. The (S,S)-enantiomer contains minor amounts of impurities while the rotation of the meso compound is essentially zero.

Since the enzyme must select the (R,R)-stereoisomer twice and the (R,S)-stereoisomer once and must always reject the (S,S)-stereoisomer, impure compounds having this set of specific rotations would not occur fortuitously.

Example 9 Separation of α,α'-dimethyl-1,3-benzenedimethanol stereoisomers ##STR11##

The acylation was significantly slower using this substrate, apparently because of steric factors, or because the enzyme is inhibited by the unreactive stereoisomers.

When the reaction was stopped after 22.5 hrs, not all (R) chiral centers had reacted. Rather, it appears that acetylation of the (R) chiral center in the (R,S) or meso stereoisomer and one of the chiral centers in the (R,R) stereoisomer occurs rapidly, but the second chiral center of the (R,R) stereoisomer reacts more slowly.

As a result, the meso diol monoacetate fraction was contaminated with (R,R) diol monoacetate. Hydrolysis of the monoacetate fraction, therefore, led to diol having [α]_(D) ²⁵ +7.68° rather than the expected 0.0°. The unchanged (S,S) diol and the diacetylated (R,R) diol appear to be enantiomerically pure.

Based on the [α]_(D) ²⁵ +65.9°, found for the (R,R) stereoisomer, after hydrolysis of the diacetate, the (R,S) diol fraction contains an 11.6% impurity of (R,R) material.

When the (R,S) diol fraction was again subjected to the enzymatic separation procedure, the reaction proceeded much more rapidly, and, when complete, was shown by VPC analysis to contain precis4ely 11.6% of diacetate. This observation supports the value used as the specific rotation of the pure (R,R) enantiomer being correct. The recycling process provided meso diol containing an impurity of only 1.1% of (R,R) diol.

The conditions for the reaction were as described in Examples 10 to 17 below.

Example 10 Preparation of the Stereoisomer Mixture of α,α'-Dimethyl-1,3-benzenedimethanol (Compounds (S,S), (R,S), and (R,R) 4)

This mixture of stereoisomers was prepared from 1,3-diacetylbenzene by reduction with sodium borohydride as described above for the para stereoisomers. The mixture of stereoisomers was isolated as a semisolid. It appeared as a single spot on TLC and as a single peak on VPC.

¹ HNMR(CDCl₃): δ 7.2-7.4 (m, 4H), 4.85 (q, 2H), 2.95 (br s, 2H), 1.46 (d,6H).

¹³ CNMR(CDCl₃) 6 146.0, 128.4, 124.8, 123.0, 9.9, 25.0.3

Example 11 Separation of the Stereoisomers of α,α'-Dimethyl-1,3-benzenedimethanol

A benzene solution containing 10.1 g of the mixture of stereoisomeric diols (Compound 4) was treated with Amano P enzyme and acetic anhydride as described above for the para diols, 1. The reaction was allowed to continue for 22.5 hours then the products were separated as before.

Example 12 Isolation of (S,S)-α,α'-Dimethyl-1,3-benzenedimethanol (Compound (S,S) 4)

The insoluble (S,S)-diol, 1.65 g, corresponding to 16.3% of the starting mixture of diols, was filtered off. It displayed the following characteristics.

[α]_(D) ²⁵ : -63.6° (C=2, acetone).

The ¹ H and ¹³ C NMR spectra were identical with those described above for the stereoisomer mixture.

Example 13 Isolation of (R,S)-α,α'-Dimethyl-1,3-Benzenedimethanol Monoacetate (Compound (R,S) 4)

6.65g of the monoacetate of compound (R,S) 4, corresponding to 52.5% of the starting mixture of diol stereoisomers were isolated by chromatography as described above for the para isomer. The monoacetate of the (R,S) compound displayed the following characteristics.

[α]_(D) ²⁵ : +53.1° (c=2.2, acetone).

¹ HNMR(CDCl₃): 7.2-7.4(m, 4H), 5.85 (q, J=6.6 Hz, ¹ Hz), 4.85 (q, J=6.5 Hz, ¹ H), 2.55 (br s, ¹ H), 2.04 (s, 3H), 1.52 (d, J=6.6 Hz, 3H), 1.47 (d, J-6.5 Hz, 3H).

¹³ CNMR(CDCl₃): δ_(c) 170.3, 146.0, 141.6, 128.4, 124.9, 124.8, 123.0, 72.2, 69.9, 25.0, 22.0, 21.1.

Example 14 Isolation of (R,R)-α,α'-Dimethyl-1,3-benzenedimethanol Diacetate

2.77 g of the diacetate of the (R,R) isomer of compound 4 corresponding to 18.2% of the starting mixture of diol stereoisomers, were isolated by chromatography as described above for the para isomer. The (R,R) diacetate of Compound 4 displayed the following characteristics.

[α]_(D) ²⁵ :+111.3° (c=2, acetone);

¹ HNMR(CDCl₃): δ 7.2-7.4 (m 4H), 5.85 (q, J=6.6 Hz, 2H), 2.04 (s, 6H), 1.52 (d, J=6.6 Hz, 6H).

¹³ CNMR(CDCl₃): δ_(c) 170.3, 141.6, 128.4, 124.9, 123.0, 72.2, 22.0, 21.1.

Example 15 (R,S)-α,α'-Dimethyl-1,3-benzenedimethanol (Compound (R,S) 4)

The monoacetate of the (R,S) 4 compound was hydrolyzed with sodium hydroxide in absolute methanol as described for the para compound above. To prevent re-acetylation of the alcohols, it was necessary to neutralize the reaction mixture to pH 6.5 with methanolic HCl before evaporation of the methanol. It displayed the following characteristics.

[α]_(D) ²⁵ : +7.68° (c=2, acetone);

The ¹ H NMR spectrum was identical with that of the mixture of the diol stereoisomers.

The rotation of +7.68° indicates this meso compound is contaminated with 11.6% of the compound (R,R)-(+) 4 having a rotation of +65.9°.

Example 16 (R,R)-α,α'-Dimethyl-1,3-benzenedimethanol (Compound (R,R) 4)

0.42 g of the diacetate of the compound (R,R) 4, (1.68 mmol), were hydrolyzed with 0.132 g, (3.3 mmol); of sodium hydroxide in 50 ml of anhydrous methanol as described for compound (R,R) 3 above. To prevent reacetylation of the hydrolyzed diol it was necessary to adjust the mixture to pH 6.5 with methanolic HCl before evaporating the methanol. Following the extraction of the diol into methylene chloride and evaporation of the solvent, 0.25 g (90%) of compound (R,R) 4 were recovered. This compound displayed the following characteristics.

[α]_(D) ²⁵ : +65.9° (C=2, acetone);

The ¹ H NMR spectrum was identical with that of the mixture of diol stereoisomers.

Example 17 Purification of the (R,S)-α,α'-Dimethyl-1,3-benzenedimethanol by Recycling

A 4.32 g sample of the impure (R,S)-α,α'-dimethyl-1,3-benzenedimethanol isolated above was subjected to a PPL enzyme catalyzed acetylation by acetic anhydride as described above. In the absence of any (S,S) diol, the reaction was completed after 11 hours. VPC analysis showed the presence of 11.6 wt% of diacetate along with the monoacetate.

Separation of the mixture by chromatography gave 2.61 g of the monoacetate of the compound (R,S)-4 corresponding to a recovery of 2.08 g of the diol (compound (R,S) 4). The monoacetate displayed the following characteristics.

[α]_(D) ²⁰ : +57.6° (C=2, acetone).

A second fraction contained 0.81 g of the diacetate of compound (R,R}4, corresponding to 0.54 g of the (R,R)-diol, which displayed the following characteristics.

[α]_(D) ²⁰ : +110.8° (C=2, acetone).

Hydrolysis of the monoacetate as described previously gave the meso diol (compound (R,S) 2), having a

[α]_(D) ²⁰ :+0.77° (C=2, acetone) indicating an impurity of 1.1% of Compound (R,R) 4.

Example 18 Separation of α,α'-dimethyl-4,4 -biphenyl dimethanol ##STR12##

This substrate has very low solubility in benzene. After eight hours, the reaction stopped despite the fact that acetylation would be expected to maintain an equilibrium concentration of the (R,R) and (R,S) diols.

Filtering off the catalyst and undissolved diol followed by evaporation of the benzene provided the expected mixture of diol, monoacetate and diacetate. The (S,S)-diol was contaminated with (R,R) and (R,S) diol as expected. The total weight of product was approximately one third that expected.

The catalyst and unreacted diol were again suspended in benzene and the process described above repeated. A third repetition completed consumption of the diol molecules having (R) chiral centers.

The unchanged diol fractions from the three reactions were combined and again treated with acetic anhydride in the presence of the enzyme. After filtering off the enzyme the benzene was cooled and the (S,S)-diol precipitated. Its rotation [α]_(D) ²⁵ =-76°, compares favorably with [α]_(D) ²⁵ =+77°0 found for the (R,R) stereoisomer, after hydrolysis of the diacetate.

Example 19 Preparation of the Stereoisomer Mixture α,α'-Dimethyl-4,4'-biphenylenedimethanol Compounds (S,S)-, (R,S)-, and (R,R)-6

This mixture of stereoisomers was prepared from 4,4'-diacetylbiphenyl by reduction with sodium borohydride as described above for the para stereoisomers, 1. The mixture of stereisomers was isolated as solid and appeared as single spot on TLC.

mp 160°-163°.

¹ HNMR(CDCl₃): delta 7.35-7.70 (AA BB quartet,

8H 4.95 (crude q, 2H) 1.89 (d, 2 H), 1.53 (d, 6H).

Anal. Calcd for C₁₆ H₁₈ O₂ : C. 79.24; H, 7.49. Found: C, 79.11; H, 7.43.

Example 20 Separation of the Stereoisomers of α,α'-Dimethyl-4,4'-biphenylenedimethanol.

A mixture containing 4.0 g (16.5 mmol) of the mixture of stereoisomeric diols 6, 3.37 g (33.05 mmol) of acetic anhydride and 2.52 g of Amano P lipase supported on Celite 577 in 1250 mL of dry benzne was allowed to stir for 10 hrs. The reaction was stopped by filtering off the catalyst. Evaporation of the solvent provided only 1.62 g of product, so the solid which had been filtered off was resuspended in 150 mL of dry benzene and treated with a further 3.0 g (29.4 mmol) of acetic anhydride, this time for a period of 30 hrs. Work up as before provided an additional 1.54 g of product.

A third repetition of the acetylation provided a final 1.38 g of product. The combined products (4.54 g, 97% of theory) were separated by flash chromatography on a 6 in bed of Merck 60/60 A silica gel eluting with 1:1.5 hexane/ethyl acetate to give, after evaporation of the solvent, three fractions all of which crystallized upon standing.

Example 21 Isolation of (R,R)-α,α-biphenylenedimethanol Diacetate

The first fraction was shown to be the diacetate of compound (R,R)-6: 1.57 g, corresponding to 29.1% of the starting mixture of diol stereoisomers.

M.P.: 77°-80°.

[α]_(D) ²⁵° : +170.19° (c=2, acetone).

¹ HNMR(CDCl₃) delta 7.50 (AA'BB'q 8 H) 5.92 (q,I=6.6 Hz, 2 H), 2.08 (s, 6 H), 1.57 (d,J=6.6 Hz, 6 H).

Anal. Calcd. for C20H₂₂ O₄ : C, 73.60; H, 6.79. Found: C, 73.88; H, 6.82.

Example 22 Isolation of (R,S-α,α-Dimethyl-4,4'-biphenylenedimethanol Monoacetate.

A second fraction was shown to be the monoacetate of compound (R,S)-6: 1.69 g were obtained corresponding to 36.0% of the starting mixture of diol stereoisomers.

M.P.: 70°-72 ° C.

[α]_(d) ²⁵ : +62.51](c=2.2 acetone).

¹ HBNR(CDCl₃) delta 7.5(AA'BB'm, 8 H), 5.92 (q,j=6.6 Hz, 1 H), 4.94 (q,j=6.4 Hz, 1 H), 2.08 (s, 3 H), 1.98 (br s, 1 H), 1.57 (d,j=6.6 Hz, 3 H), 1.53 (d,j-6.4 Hz, 3 H).

Anal. Calcd for C₁₈ H₂₀ O₃ : C, 76.03; H, 7.09. Found: C, 76.02; H, 7.09.

Example 23 Isolation of (S,S)-α,α-Dimethyl-4,4,'-biphenylenedimethanol (S,S-6))

The third fraction was shown to be compound (S,S)-6. 1.10 g were obtained corresponding to 27.5% of the starting mixture of diol stereoisomers. II

M.P. 158°-160° C.

[α]_(d) ²⁵° : -55.00° (c=2).

Comparison with the M.P.: and rotation found for the (R,R) isomer suggested contamination by the (R,S) isomer and/or the (R,R) isomer.

Example 24 Purification of (S,S)-α,α'-Dimethyl-4,4'-biphenylenedimethanol (Compound (S,S)-6 by recycling)

The impure (S,S)-6 compound was treated with 0.93 g (9.1 mmol) of acetic anhydride and 0.66 g of the supported Amano P lipase in 100 mL of dry benzene. After 30 hours, the catalyst was removed and, upon cooling the reaction benzene solution to 0° C. the (S,S)-diol (0.91 g, 83%) crystallized as a white solid.

M.P.: 167°-169° C.

[α]_(d) ²⁵° : -76.05° (c=2, acetone).

The ¹ H and ¹³ C NMR spectra were identical with those described above for the stereoisomer mixture.

Anal. Calcd. for C₁₆ H₁₈ O₂ : C, 79.24; H, 7.49. Found: C, 79.28; H, 7.46.

Example 25 (R,S)-α,α'-Dimethyl-4,4,-biphenylenedimethanol

The monoacetate of compound (R,S)-6 was hydrolyzed by treatment with sodium hydroxide in absolute methanol as described for (R,S)-2 above to give 1.31 g (91%) of compound (R,S),-6.

M.P.: 168°-171° C.

[α]_(D) ²⁵° +1.45° (c=2, acetone).

The ¹ H NMR spectrum was identical with that of the mixture of diol stereoisomers.

The rotation of +1.45° indicates this meso compound is contaminated with 1.9% of (R,R)-(+)-6 having rotation +76.95°.

Anal. Calcd for C₁₆ H₁₈ O₂ ; C, 79.24; H, 7.45. Found: C,79.07; H, 7.36.

Example 26 (R,R)-α,α'-Dimethyl-4,4'-biphenylenedimethanol (Compound (R,R)-6)

0.42 g of the diacetate of compound (R,R)-6 (1.68 mmol) were hydrolyzed with sodium hydroxide, 0.132 g (3.3 mmol) in anhydrous methanol (50 mL as described for compound (R,R)-3 above to give 1.02 g (88%) of compound (R,R)-6.

M.P.: 168°-170 ° C.

[α]_(d) ²⁵° : +76.95° (c=2, acetone).

The ¹ H NMR spectrum was identical with that of the mixture of diol stereoisomers.

Anal. Calcd for C₁₆ H₁₈ O₂ : C, 79.24; H, 7.49. Found: C, 78.97; H, 7.34.

Example 27 Separation of α,α'-dimethyl 2,6-pyridine dimethanol Stereoisomers ##STR13##

Complete acylation was even slower using this substrate than with the corresponding meta benzenediethanol, possibly because of the added effect of hydrogen bonding between unesterified alcohols and the pyridine nitrogen.

As with the benzene case (compound 4), it appears that acetylation of the (R) chiral center in the (R,S) or meso stereoisomer and one of the chiral centers in the (R,R) stereoisomer occurs rapidly, but the second chiral center of the (R,R) stereoisomer reacts more slowly. The reaction was still incomplete after 47 hours.

To develop evidence that the nitrogen is indeed inhibited, the ability of the pyridinediethanol to catalyze the acylation in the absence of the enzyme was explored. The anhydride was consumed at a rate of 0.4% per hour under these conditions. Only monoacetate was formed in the uncatalyzed process.

Based on the [α]_(d) ²⁵ of +10.2°, found for the (R,S) stereoisomer, after hydrolysis of the monoacetate, this fraction contains a significant impurity of (R,R) material.

No attempt has yet been made to recycle the (R,S) stereoisomer and remove the (R,R) impurity, but our success in solving the comparable problem in the benzene and biphenylene system suggests this should be possible. The conditions for the reaction were as described below. The characteristics of the above obtained diols are shown in Table 1 below.

    __________________________________________________________________________     Remote Diol Stereoisomers Separated by Amano P Catalyzed                       Stereoselective Acetylation                                                                          R,R      R,S      S,S                                                          Yield.sup.a                                                                        Specific.sup.b                                                                      Yield.sup.a                                                                        Specific.sup.b                                                                      Yield.sup.a                                                                        Specific.sup.b                     Diol                  (%) Rotation                                                                            (%) Rotation                                                                            (%) Rotation                           __________________________________________________________________________      ##STR14##            22.4                                                                               +80.5°                                                                       35.3                                                                               -0.35°                                                                       24.1                                                                               -79.9°                       ##STR15##            16.4                                                                               +65.9°                                                                       41.5.sup.c                                                                         +0.77°                                                                       16.3                                                                               -63.6°                       ##STR16##            25.0                                                                               +76.95°                                                                      32.5                                                                               -1.45°                                                                       22.5                                                                               -76.05°.sup.d                ##STR17##            14.9                                                                               +44.01°                                                                      46.5                                                                               +10.21°.sup.e                                                                14.1                                                                               -42.30°                     __________________________________________________________________________      .sup.a The yield of each component is calculated relative to the total         amount of the diol mixture used in the reaction. A statistical mixture         would contain 25% (R,R), 25% (S,S), and 50% (R,S) isomer.                      .sup.b [α].sub.D.sup.amb (c = 2, acetone)                                .sup.c After recycling through the esterification to remove an 11.6%           impurity of (R,R)diol                                                          .sup.d After recycling to remove an impurity of the (R,S)stereoisomer          .sup.c Not recycled to remove the (R,R)diol impurity                     

Example 28 Preparation of the Stereoisomer Mixture of α,α-Dimethyl-2,6-pyridinedimethanol (Compounds (S,S)-, (R,S)-, and (R,R)-5)

A 250 mL three-necked round bottom flask fitted with magnetic stirrer and nitrogen inlet was charged with 5.0 g (30.6 mmol) of 2,6-diacetylpyridine and 60 mL of anhydrous isopropyl alcohol. To the stirred solution was added 1.16 g (3.06 mmol) of sodium borohydride in three equal portions. The initially colorless solution became yellow and warmed then slowly returned to pale yellow.

After 1 hr, VPC analysis showed all of the starting material to have been consumed, and, after an additional hour the excess borohydride was destroyed by adjusting the pH to 6.5 with 5% aqueous HCl, about 50 mL being required. After stirring for a short time, the pH was readjusted to 8 with dilute aqueous NaOH solution.

The precipitate which formed was filtered off and the isopropyl alcohol and some of the water evaporated until a volume of about 40 mL was reached. The concentrated aqueous mixture was extracted with 3×100 mL of ethyl acetate.

The combined organic phases were dried over sodium sulfate and the ethyl acetate was evaporated to give 4.20 g (82%) of a nearly colorless oil which crystallized upon standing at 0° C.

M.P 49°-58 ° C.

¹ HNMR(CDCl₃) delta 7.71 (t, 1 H); 7.21 (d, 2 H); 4.84-4.98 (m. 2H); 3.91 (s, 2 H); 1.52 (d, 6 H).

Anal. Calcd. for C₉ H₁₃ NO₂ : : C, 64.65; H, 7.84; N, 8.38.

Found: C, 64.95; H, 7.60; N, 8.84.

Example 29 Separation of the Stereoisomers of α,α'-Dimethyl-2,6-pyridinedimethanol

A 500 mL flask equipped with a magnetic stirrer and a nitrogen inlet was charged with 3.93 g (23.5 mmol) of the stereoisomer mixture of 5 and 150 mL of dry benzene. To the clear, stirred solution was added 2.5 g of Amano P lipase supported on Celite 577 followed by 4.79 g (47.0 mmol) of acetic anhydride.

The reaction was stopped after 45 hrs. by addition of 2 mL of methanol, despite the fact the VPC analysis showed that less than the expected amount of diacetate had been formed. The catalyst was removed by filtration and the filtrate concentrated to yield 4.53 g of a light yellow oil which was separated by flash chromatography on 6 in a bed of Merck 60/60 Angstrom silica gel eluted with 1:1 hexane/ethyl acetate.

Example 30 Isolation of (R,R)-α,α'-Dimethyl-2,6-pyridinedimethanol Diacetate

The first fraction comprising 1.034 g of a pale yellow oil and accounting for 17.5% of the starting diol stereoisomer mixture was shown to be the diacetate of compound (R,R)-5.

[α]_(D) ^(amb) : +73.33° (c=2, acetone).

Anal. Calcd. for C₁₅ H₂₁ NO₄ : C, 64.50; H, 7.58; N, 5.01.

Found: C,64.58; H, 7.65; N 5.08.

Example 31 Isolation of (R,S)-α,α'-Dimethyl-2,6-pyridinedimethanol Monoacetate

The second fraction, comprising 2.57 g of a pale yellow oil and accounting for 52.5% of the starting mixture of diol stereoisomers, was shown to be the monoacetate of compound (R,S)-5.

[α]_(D) ^(amb) : +29.43° (c=2.2 acetone).

Anal. Calcd for C₁₁ H₁₅ NO₃ :C, 63.14; H, 7.23; N, 6.70.

Found: C, 63.01; H, 7.30; N, 6.74.

Example 32 Isolation of (S,S)-α,α'-Dimethyl-2-6-pyridinedimethanol (Compound (S,S)-5)

The third fraction comprising 0.56 g of a white microcrystalline solid and accounting for 14.2% of the starting mixture of diol stereoisomers was shown to be compound (S,S)-5.

M.P. 61°-63 ° C.

[α]_(D) ^(amb) : -63.6° (c=2, acetone).

the ¹ H spectrum was identical with that described above for the stereoisomer mixture

Anal. Calcd for C₉ H₁₃ NO₂ : C, 64.65; H, 7.84; N, 8.38.

Found: C, 64.89; H, 7.90; N, 8.45.

Example 33 (R,S)-α,α'-Dimethyl-2,6-pyridinedimethanol (Compound (R,S)-5

The monoacetate of compound (R,S)-5 was hydrolyzed by treatment with sodium hydroxide in absolute methanol as described for the meta diol (R,S)-4 above. To prevent acetylation of the alcohols it was necessary to neutralize the reaction mixture to pH 6.5 with methanolic HCl before evaporation of the methanol.

Compound (R,S)-5 was isolated as a white semi-solid, 1.42 g (89%).

[α]_(D) ^(amb) : +10.21° (c=2, acetone).

The ¹ H NMR spectrum was identical with that of the mixture of diol stereoisomers.

The rotation of +10.21° indicates this meso compound is contaminated with 23% of (R,R)-(+)-5 having rotation +44.01°.

Anal. Calcd. for C : C₉ H₁₃ NO₂ : C, 64.65; H, 7.84; N, 8.38.

Found: C, 64.45; H, 7.99; N, 8.44.

Example 34 (R,R)-α,α'-Dimethyl-2,6-pyridine dimethanol (Compound (R,R)-5)

The diacetate of compound (R,R)-5 was hydrolyzed with sodium hydroxide in anhydrous methanol as described for compound (R,R) 3 above. To prevent reacetylation of the hydrolyzed diol it was again necessary to adjust the mixture to pH 6.5 with methanolic HCl before evaporating the methanol. 0.450 g (85%) of compound (R,R)-5 were isolated as a white microcrystalline solid.

M.P : 62°-64 ° C.

[α]_(D) ^(amb) : +44.01° (c=2, acetone).

The ¹ H NMR spectrum was identical with that of the mixture of diol stereoisomers.

Anal. Calcd. for C₉ H₁₃ NO₂ : C, 64.65; H, 7.84; N, 8.38.

Found: C, 64.66; H, 7.98; N, 8.38.

Example 35 Separation of α,α',α"-trimethyl-1,3,5-benzenetrimethanol Stereoisomers ##STR18##

The triol was prepared of 1,3,5-triacetylbenzene. It was found to have very low solubility in benzene.

Because of the low solubility of the triol, it was expected that non-enzymatic esterification of partially esterified triols would become a significant, detrimental side reaction over long reaction times. Thus, the triol was chemically converted to the triacetate and then stereoselective hydrolysis was conducted with the enzyme.

The hydrolysis required 28 days in a buffer held near pH 7.4 by addition of aqueous base to consume the theoretical 0.5 mole of hydroxide using unsupported Amano P as the catalyst. No further change was observed upon stirring for an additional day. The characteristics of the products obtained are shown in Table 2 below.

                  TABLE 2                                                          ______________________________________                                         Specific Rotations of the Enzymatic Hydrolysis Products                        and Fully Hydrolyzed Triol Products in the Separation of                       the Stereoisomers of Tris-1,3,5-(1-hydroxyethyl)benzene                                number of acetate                                                      stereo- groups in enzy-                                                                             [α].sub.D.sup.25° of                                                           [α].sub.D.sup.21° of the        chemical                                                                               matic hydrol-                                                                               enzymatic hydrol-                                                                           fully hydro-                                 designation                                                                            ysis product ysis product lyzed triol                                  ______________________________________                                         (R,R,R) 0            +95.50°                                                                              +95.50°                               (S,S,S) 3            -173.25°                                                                             -94.10°                               (R,S,S) 2            -114.75°                                                                             -32.10°                               (R,R,S) 1            +14.50°                                                                              +32.31°                               ______________________________________                                    

Example 36 Preparation of the Stereoisomer Mixture of α,α',α"-Trimethyl-1,3,5-benzenetrimethanol (Compounds (S,S,S)-, (R,S,S)-, (S,R,R)-, and (R,R,R)-7)

This mixture of stereoisomers was prepared from the poorly soluble 1,3,5-diacetylbenzene by reduction with sodium borohydride as described above for the α,α-dimethyl-1,4-benzenedimethanol stereoisomers.

The product was isolated as a very pale yellow solid that appeared as a single spot on TLC.

M.P.: 122°-126° C.

¹ HNMR(CD₃ COCD₃): 7.28 (s, 3 H); 4.87 (q 68.54; H, 8.63.

Anal. Calcd. for C₁₂ H₁₈ O₃ C, 68.54; H, 8.63.

Found: C, 68.75; H, 8.85.

Example 37 Preparation of the Stereoisomer Mixture of α,α',α"-Trimethyl-1,3,5-benzenetrimethanol Triacetates

To a 250 mL three-necked round bottom flask equipped with a magnetic stirrer and a dry nitrogen inlet was added 4.0 g (19.0 mmol) of the stereoisomer mixture of triols 7 mixed with 50 mL of dichloromethane. The solution was stirred and to it were added 8.74 g (85.6 mmol) of acetic anhydride, 8.67 g (85.7 mmol) of triethylamine, and 0.25 g (2.0 mmol) of 4-(N,N-dimethylamino)pyridine (DMAP).

The partially soluble triol was completely dissolved after about 0.5 hrs., and after 2 hrs., TLC analysis showed only one spot at an Rf much higher than that of the triol. The reaction was quenched by cooling the flask in an ice water bath then slowly adding 50 mL of water. The phases were separated and the organic phase was extracted with 3×50 mL of aqueous citric acid solution then 3×50 mL of saturated aqueous sodium bicarbonate solution, and finally, with 2×100 mL of water.

After drying over magnesium sulfate, the solvent was evaporated to yield a dark yellow oil which was passed through a 4 in bed of silica gel eluted with 1:1 hexane/ethyl acetate to provide 5.88 g (92%) of a light yellow oil.

¹ HNMR(CDCl₃) delta 7.26 (s, 3 H); 5.89 (q,j=6.6, 3 H); 2.09 (s, 9 H); 1.53 (d, J=6.6, 9 H).

The oil was used in the next step without additional characterization.

Example 38 Separation of the Stereoisomers of α,α',α"-Trimethyl-1,3,5-benzenetrimethanol (Compound 7)

To a 500 mL three-necked round bottom flask equipped with a magnetic stirrer and a pH electrode was added 5.86 g (17.42 mmol) of the stereoisomer mixture of α,α'α"-trimethyl-1,3,5-benzenetrimethanol triacetate dissolved in 20 mL of benzene. To this was added 100 mL of a 0.1M potassium phosphate buffer that had been adjusted to pH 7.8 followed by 0.600 g of unsupported Amano P lipase catalyst.

The yellow reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature for 672 hours (28 days) while maintaining the pH between 7.5 and 8.2 by daily additions of 1.0M aqueous sodium hydroxide solution. After 672 hours, 25.7 mL of the theoretical 26.1 mL of base had been added and the pH ceased to change over the next 24 hrs.

The mixture was diluted with 300 mL of dichloromethane then stirred rapidly. The resulting emulsion was broken by gravity filtration through a glass fiber filter. The phases were separated and the organic phase was dried with sodium sulfate then the solvent removed and the resulting light yellow oil subjected to flash chromatography on a 6 in bed of 60/60 Angstrom silica gel eluted with 1:2 hexane/ethyl acetate to give three fractions.

Example 39 Isolation of (S,S,S)-α,α'α"-Trimethyl-1,3,5-benzenetrimethanol Triacetate

The first fraction (highest R_(f)) comprises 0.91 g of a colorless oil accounting for 15.5% of the starting triacetate. It was shown to be the triacetate of compound (S,S,S)-7.

[α]_(D) ^(amb) : -173.25° (c=2, acetone).

The ¹ H NMR spectrum was identical with that described above for the stereoisomer mixture of triacetates.

Anal. Calcd. for C₁₈ H₂₄ O₆ C, 64.28; H 7.19.

Found: C, 64.64; H, 7.38.

Example 40 Isolation of (R,S,S)-α,α'-Trimethyl-1,3,5-benzenetrimethanol Diacetate

The second fraction comprised 1.33 g of a colorless oil accounting for 25.9% of the starting triacetate. It was shown to be the diacetate of compound (R,S,S)-7.

[α]_(D) ^(amb) : -114.75° (c=2, acetone).

¹ HNMR(CD₃ COCD₃) delta 7.29 (d,J=1.5, 2H), 7.22 (d,j=1.5, 1 H) 5.87 (q, j=6.6 Hz, 2 H); 4.87 (q, j=6.4, 1 H); 2.55-2.70 (br m, 1 H); 2.06 (s 6 H), 1.52 (d, j=6.6 Hz, 6 H); 1.48 (d, j=6.6 Hz, 6 H); 1.48 (d, j=6.4, 3 H). Anal. Calcd. for C₁₆ H₂₂ O₅ C, 65.28; H, 7.53. Found: C, 65.27; H, 7.64.

Example 41 Isolation of (R,R,S)-α,α'-Trimethyl-1,3,5-benzenetrimethanol Monoacetate

The third fraction comprised 1.41 g of a very pale yellow oil accounting for 32.0% of the starting triacetate it was shown to be the monoacetate compound (R,R,S)-7.

[α]_(D) ^(amb) : 14.50° (c=2.2, acetone).

¹ HNMR(CD₃ COCD₃): delta 7.28(d,j=1.4 ¹ H), 7.23 (d,j=1.4 Hz, 2 H), 5.84 (q,j=6.6 Hz, 1 H), 4,84 (q,j=6.4, 2 H), 2.55-2.70 (br m, 3H, 7.99. Anal. Calcd. for C₁₄ H₂₀ O₄ C 66.64; H, 7.99. Found: C, 66.57; H, 8.10.

Example 42 Isolation of (R,R,R)-α,α',α"-trimethyl-1,3,5-benzenetrimethanol (Compound (R,R,R)-7)

The aqueous phase was reduced to near dryness by evaporation of the water then was extracted with 3×50 mL of acetone. The acetone was evaporated to provide 0.605 g of an off white solid that accounted for 21.4% of the starting triacetate.

Recrystallization from 3:1 hexane/ethyl acetate yielded 0.51 g of rectangular plate crystals which were shown to be compound (R,R,R)-7.

[α]_(D) ²⁵° : +95.50° (c=2, acetone).

The H NMR spectrum was identical with that described above for the triol stereoisomer mixture.

Anal. Calcd. for C₁₂ H₁₈ _(O) ₃ C, 68.54; H, 8.63. Found: C, 68.75; H, 8.85.

Example 43 (R,R,S)-α,α',α"-Trimethyl-1,3,5-benzenetrimethanol (Compound (R,R,S)-7))

The monoacetate of compound (R,R,S)⁻⁷ was hydrolyzed by treatment with sodium hydroxide in absolute methanol as described for the mono- and diacetates of α,α'-dimethyl-1,3-benzendimethanol (compound 4) above. Again, to prevent re-acetylation of the alcohols, it was necessary to neutralize the reaction mixture to pH 6.5 with methanolic HCl before evaporation of the methanol.

The (R,R,S) triol was isolated as a white microcrystalline powder, 0.45 g (90%).

M.P.: 123°-125 ° C.

[α]_(D) ^(amb) : +32.31° (c=2, acetone).

The ¹ HNMR spectrum was identical with that of the mixture of triol stereoisomers.

Anal. Calcd. for C₁₂ H₁₈ O₃ C, 68.54; H, 8.63. Found: C, 68.69; H, 8.78.

Example 44 (R,S,S,)-α,α',α"-Trimethyl-1,3-benzenetrimethanol (Compound (R,S,S)-7

The diacetate of compound (R,S,S)-7 was hydrolyzed with sodium hydroxide in anhydrous methanol as described for the mono- and diacetates of compound 4 above. To prevent reacetylation of the hydrolyzed alcohols it was necessary to adjust the mixture to pH 6.5 with methanolic HCl before evaporating the methanol.

The (R,S,S) triol was isolated as a white, microcrystalline powder, 0.47 g (87%)

M.P.: 123°-125 ° C. [α]_(D) ²⁵° : -32.10° (c=2, acetone).

The ¹ H NMR spectrum was identical with that of the mixture of triol stereoisomers.

Anal. Calcd for C₁₂ H₈ O₂ : C, 68.54, H, 8.63. Found: C, 68.39; H, 8.71.

Example 45 (S,S,S)-α,α',α"-Trimethyl-1,3-benzenetrimethanol (Compound (S,S,S)-7

The triacetate of compound (S,S,S)-7 was hydrolyzed with sodium hydroxide in anhydrous methanol as described for the mono- and diacetates of 4 above. To prevent reacetylation of the hydrolyzed alcohols it was necessary to adjust the mixture to pH 6.5 with methanolic HCl before evaporating the methanol.

The (S,S,S) triol was isolated as rectangular plates, 0.384 g (87%).

M.P.: 128°-129 ° C.

[α]_(D) ^(amb) : -94.10° (c-2, acetone).

The ¹ HNMR spectrum was identical with that of the mixture of triol stereoisomers.

Anal. Calcd. for C : C, 68.54; H, 8.63. Found: C, 68.57; H, 8.45.

The invention now being fully described, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that many changes and modifications can be made hereto without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as set forth herein. 

We claim:
 1. An optically active polymer of the formula ##STR19## wherein and R and R¹ are different from each other and are selected from the group consisting of (C₁ -C₂₀)alkyl, (C₂ -C₂₀)alkenyl, (C₂ -C₂₀)alkynyl, (C₃ -C₂₂)cycloalkyl and (C₆ -C₂₂)aryl, said alkyl, alkenyl and alkynyl further including an atom selected from the group consisting of N, O and S in the chain, said alkyl, alkenyl and alkynyl further including a substituent selected from the group consisting of (C₁ -C₄)alkyl and halogen atoms, said cycloalkyl and aryl further including an atom selected from the group consisting of N, O and S in the ring, and said cycloalkyl and aryl further including a substituent selected from the group consisting of (C₁ -C₁₀)alkoxy, aryloxy, halogen atoms, NO₂ and NHCOR⁴ wherein R⁴ is selected from the group consisting of (C₁ -C₆)alkyl, (C₂ -C₆)alkenyl, (C₂ -C₆)alkynyl and (C₆ -C₁₀)aryl;R² is selected from the group consisting of --CO--, --CO--R³ --CO--, (CH₂)_(q), --C₆ H₄ --, 4,4'-biphenylene and --OCNH--R³ --NHCO-- wherein R³ is selected from the group consisting of (C₁ -C₁₀) alkyl, (C₂ -C₁₀)alkenyl, (C₂ -C₁₀)alkynyl, (C₄ -C₂₀)aryl and (C₃ -C₂₀)cycloalkyl and q is from 1 to 12; m is from 1 to 10,000; and p is from 0 to m, said polymer being formed from a stereochemically pure compound.
 2. The polymer of claim 1 being selected from the group consisting of polyurethanes, polycarbonates, polyesters and polyethers or combinations thereof.
 3. An optically active polymer as defined by claim 1 wherein R is a (C₁ -C₂₀) alkyl group.
 4. An optically active polymer as defined by claim 1, wherein R¹ is phenyl.
 5. An optically active polymer as defined by claim 1, wherein p is zero.
 6. An optically active polymer as defined by claim 1, wherein the stereochemically pure compound is obtained by an enzymatic stereoseletive separation method.
 7. An optically active olymer of the formula ##STR20## wherin m is from 1 to 10,000, said polymer being formed from a stereochemically pure compound. 